Christmas
by fornwalt
Summary: RosettexChrono:: Rosette and Chrono get lost after killing a demon deep in the woods. It's Christmas Eve, and they're stuck wading through snow? Christmas isn't supposed to be like this! Fluff!
1. Snow

A/N: Hope you like this. I felt like writing a cute little story, but I'm not saying it's going to be a oneshot. Depending on whether or not you review telling me what you thought, I may or may not write another chapter. It's up to you guys to decide that. Review, and we'll see if the story continues!

Disclaimer: Blinks Really? Hold on, I think I may have some lint here somewhere...

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Christmas

Rosette groaned and buried her head in her hands. Things weren't supposed to end up like this. Christmas was supposed to be a time where friends exchanged gifts, discussed the oncoming year, gathered around a warm fire, sang carols. It was not supposed to be spent trudging through knee-deep snow in a forest of pine trees far away from civilization.

Rosette had been at the monastery preparing for the annual Christmas party when the alarm had come. The Magdalene Order had told Sister Kate about a demon loose in the woods close to a village on the outskirts of New York. Kate had tracked the exorcist and her partner down quickly and quietly, telling them that they had to leave immediately. Rosette had thrown a fit, but in the end Chrono had convinced her to go.

They had driven to the village, parked their car, and waited until nightfall to hunt the demon, said to be unable to withstand sunlight. Finally, after hours of looking, the pair had found and battled the demon. It was tough, but with the help of a Gospel, Rosette had managed to kill it, sending it back to the depths of Hell. Unfortunatly, by this time, both devil and nun were hopelessly lost in the large forest.

It didn't help that it had started snowing just before they found the demon. Now, about three hours after the demon had been exorcized, the snow was up to their knees, and Rosette and Chrono were tiring from the effort it took just to wade through the frosty fluff.

_What a way to spend our Christmas Eve… _Rosette thought darkly, blowing her hot breath onto her hands in a desperate attempt to keep them from going numb. She glanced at Chrono, who looked a bit better than she felt, but not by much. He turned to her and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm sure the town's around here somewhere," he said softly, his energy spent.

Rosette laughed, but it came out as a tired chuckle instead, "Don't joke, Chrono. We may as well call it a night and give up. The town's no where around here."

Chrono shrugged, looking around, "There's no where to stop. If we keep moving, at least we'll avoid getting buried in snow."

"True," Rosette sighed in defeat, "What a Christmas Eve, huh?"

"It certainly is set apart from others," he smiled at her again, "But at least we're not alone."

Rosette nodded slowly, pushing through the snow like a burnt out plow, "Yeah. Still, I wish we could stop moving and rest, just for a little bit."

"We can't do that. We'll never get back up again," Chrono pointed out. He continued to survey the area. To the right, trees littered his vision, blocking anything but the snow and trunks from view. The black sky wasn't visible anymore, as the tall trees covered it from human's eyes. A white blanket of the soft substance covered the ground, like whip cream on top of hot chocolate. It rose and fell in various places, but for the most part it was flat. On the left, the base of a huge mountain blocked his view.

"Rosette, I think we're farther away from the town than we thought," he shifted the wooden case on his back. Rosette stopped and turned to face him.

"What do you mean?" she asked. He jerked a thumb towards the mountain.

"There was no mountain beside it," he remarked. Rosette threw up her arms in frustration and anger.

"No!" she sank into the snow, fatigue finally getting the better of her, "How could we not realize it before?"

"It was hidden by the trees until just a few minutes ago, and we're exhausted. Don't beat yourself up about it," he gently grabbed her arm, helping her stand. She shivered as the snow she had been sitting in began to soak through her clothes.

"I'm tired, Chrono," she said, looking up at the mountain, "I can't keep going on like this. I'm not as durable as you."

Chrono's eyes softened, and he sighed, "How about you stay here, and I'll go find somewhere for you to rest?"

She shook her head, "You're just as tired as I am, Chrono. We both need to rest," she continued to stare at the mountain.

"Well, we can't just stop—"

"What does that look like to you?" she pointed up the mountain some, at a dark spot.

Chrono stared at it, blinking to focus his tired eyes, "A cave, maybe?"

Rosette grinned, newly energized, "That's what I thought. Wait here, I'm going to climb up and see."

"No!" Chrono objected, "It's the middle of winter. Chances are a bear is hibernating up there or something!"

Rosette shrugged, "It's either I die a quick death from a bear wound, or I'll freeze to death slowly down here. I don't like either, but I'd pick the first one if I had to. Wait here."

Ignoring his protests, the nun grabbed a hold of the rocks and began scaling the mountain, her fatigue forgotten on the sudden rush of adrenaline. She climbed for a few minutes, until the cave entrance came into view. Warily, she peeked her head up just high enough to see inside.

The cave was extremely dark, and the full moon's light didn't help any. She frowned and took one hand off the mountain to fish out a flashlight that hadn't been much use in the snowing weather. She turned it on, shining it inside and praying that there wasn't any wild animals inside the cave.

Rosette sighed in relief, and giddiness swept through her as the beam of light shone in every corner of the cave. It wasn't that deep, stopping about twenty feet inside the mountain. Still, it was enough to keep the snow out. The bear was MIA, as was any other wild animals. She laughed out loud, climbing inside the cave and flashing her flashlight down the mountainside to get Chrono's attention.

She didn't know if he had seen it at first, but after a few minutes scraping was heard, and Rosette peeked over the edge of the entrance to see the devil following her footsteps. She beamed and grabbed his hand, hauling him and the wooden case over the edge into the small cave.

"Look, Chrono!" she exclaimed happily. He looked warily around the hollowed rock.

"That's lucky…" he muttered. Rosette shrugged.

"Who cares? Now we don't have to walk anymore!" she took off her equipment and dumped them on the side of the cave. Then she sank beside the wall, leaning against the cool rock and sighing happily. Chrono shrugged and took off the case, setting it down beside Rosette's possessions. He glanced at the nun, who had closed her eyes. She was a bit pale from the cold, and he realized that the bottom part of her dress was soaked clean through, courtesy of the snow. She shivered slightly, and he frowned.

"I'm going to get some firewood," he remarked, turning to scale the mountain again, "I'll be back soon."

"Don't get lost," Rosette said sleepily. He nodded and continued down the side of the mountain.

After about a half hour, he entered the cave again, this time laden with firewood, "Rosette, I'm back," he said into the darkness. There was no response, and his eyes instantly directed themselves towards the pile of stuff. Rosette's things were still present and accounted for, so where was the girl?

He put the firewood down and continued to search the cave, panic steadily rising in his chest, "Rosette? Rosette?" he called softly, feeling around the floor of the rock shelter. He heard shifting in the corner, and instantly made his way towards the sound. His fingers froze as they touched soft hair, and relief swept through his veins like hot chocolate on a cold day. His contractor had fallen asleep while he was out collecting firewood, and she clearly had no intention of moving anytime soon.

_That's all right,_ Chrono decided, moving to set up the fire, _I don't feel like moving back into that snow either._ He glanced outside to see the snow falling softly just outside the entrance. It fell slowly, mesmerizing him for several seconds. An unwilling shiver woke him up from his trance, reminding him of the cold that had caused them problems all night.

He got to work setting up the fireplace, and within minutes a merry fire was dancing in front of him, illuminating the cave. He walked over, scooped up Rosette, and laid her down on a blanket that he had retrieved from the wooden case. Then he put the second, and last, blanket on top of her and tucked her in gently. She stirred, but didn't wake. He watched her affectionately for a few moments before breaking his gaze away and lying down adjacent to her, so their heads were less than a foot apart. There, against the cold stone ground, beside the flickering fire, he drifted off into sleep.

Chrono awoke abruptly as he felt himself being pulled towards something. He groaned and groggily opened his crimson eyes, glancing around drowsily. A sweet, soft voice whispered into his ear, and he was dimly aware of something being wrapped around him. Something warm.

"It's Christmas, and you shouldn't have to sleep on the stone, silly," a female voice said quietly. He recognized Rosette, and turned around to face her. She smiled at him, pulling him closer to her.

"You gave me the blankets, and it's not fair for me to let you sleep on the cold rock floor, Chrono," she told him. Chrono's jumbled mind sorted out what she said as his hands felt the soft substance that had been thrown on top of him. A blanket. The one that Rosette was under as well.

"I… I'm okay there," he said softly, blushing unwillingly. Truth be told, he was much more comfortable here, beside the girl he loved and would give his life to protect, but he didn't know if she felt the same way, so he decided to play it safe. She shook her head.

"Go to sleep again, Chrono. I'm sorry I woke you," Rosette turned him around and pulled him close to her, so his back was against her chest and her chin was resting on top of his head, buried in his deep purple hair. Through the close contact, he got a whiff of her scent, and he inhaled it deeply. To him, it was like a drug, and the devil instantly felt drowsy all over again.

" 'Night… Rosette…" he murmured. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and his head rested on one of them.

"Good night, Chrono. Merry Christmas," she whispered into his ear as he drifted off to sleep.

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A/N: Okay, now what did you think? **Review, and tell me if you think I should write another chappie or not! **I won't write one if I don't get at least ten reviews. (Or if you people think that it's okay to leave it at this. Share your two cents with me, and tell me what you liked, disliked, enjoyed, laughed at, or hated. Just tell me your opinion!) Thanks!

fornwalt


	2. Hot Chocolate

A/N: Okay, this is the last chapter of this story. I'm not writing any more, because I like it right now. If you **didn't** think it needed another chapter, pretend that this one isn't up and turn back now. If you **did **think it needed another chapter, read on and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except my webcomic, Twisted, but that's in a completely different category... (If you want to read it, go to my account page and click the "Homepage" button! It really is a cool website!)

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Christmas

(Chapter 2)

When he awoke, light was shining into the cave. _Was last night all a dream?_ He wondered, shifting groggily. He felt pressure against his back, and Rosette's familiar smell enchanted him for a few moments, sending him into a trance. He froze, content to spend the rest of his life in her arms.

"Chrono?" Rosette asked softly, "You awake?"

"Yeah," he replied, knowing that pretending to be asleep would just frustrate her. He sat up, thinking that the arm that had been underneath his head must have gone numb by now. He was right, as Rosette retracted it, massaging her wrist with her left thumb to bring back the feeling in her arm. Chrono gave her a slight smile before glancing around the cave, "Looks like the fire went out."

Rosette nodded, looking at the pile of black, burnt wood sitting where the once merry fire had been. Her eyes drifted outside, towards the morning light, "It has to be around ten, at least. I'll bet we could make it back to the village in time for the Christmas lunch, if we hurry."

Chrono frowned slightly. He didn't want to leave the cave, to go back to a crowded town and participate in a holiday that he had no right to celebrate. He would much rather spend Christmas here, with the young woman to whom he had dedicated his life to protecting. He cared about her much more than some holiday.

Rosette stood up, shivering slightly in the morning chill. She walked over to the edge of the cave and frowned, "Looks like we won't be going anywhere…"

"Huh? Why?" Chrono asked, confused. He walked over to where she was peering towards the ground with disappointment.

"That snow has to be at least five feet deep," she remarked, letting out a slow whistle. Chrono nodded in agreement. They might have been able to fight their way through it when it was knee high, but if it was up to their heads there was no point in even trying. The devil glanced at his contractor, who looked a bit upset over this whole ordeal. He felt a pang of guilt for even thinking that it would be better to spend Christmas with just the two of them.

"Looks like we won't be getting back for Christmas lunch…" she murmured thoughtfully, her cerulean eyes downcast.

"Sorry, Rosette," Chrono said to the girl. She flashed him a reassuring grin.

"It's no big deal, Chrono. We have enough resources to last for at least three days here, so I'm not worried about food or anything. And you did bring a lot of firewood last night, so we don't have to worry about looking for more anytime soon," she assured him.

Chrono raised an eyebrow, "That's not what I meant. I know how much you wanted to spend Christmas at the monastery, back in New York City. I'm sorry that, because I convinced you to come on this mission, you won't get a chance to do that this year." _Or ever…_ Chrono concluded in his mind, knowing very well that Rosette may not live to see another Christmas.

Rosette could see how badly Chrono felt about this, so she gave him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about it. We'll have a fun Christmas here. We may not get to have a big feast, but Sister Kate always said, 'It doesn't matter what you're doing. All that matters is who you're with'. Remember that? It applies here, too."

"But…"

"And besides, who would want to spend Christmas around a bunch of people who give us angry glances at the thought of a devil celebrating it?! Not me, that's for sure," Rosette folded her arms and walked back into the depths of the cave. Chrono sighed.

"I know that you have to put up with that every year, Rosette. I'm sorry about that too," he glanced away, "I don't have to celebrate Christmas, if you don't want me to."

Rosette punched him playfully on the arm, "Don't be stupid, Chrono. You're my best friend, and there's no one I'd rather spend it with!" she grinned, "So stop feeling sorry about our situation and start a new fire! I have hot chocolate packets that have our names written all over them!"

She began digging through the bags on the floor, searching for the instant hot chocolate packets. (A/N: I don't know if they had those in the 1920s, but in this story, they do.) Chrono smiled, picking up the matchbox he had discarded the previous night and arranging the extra wood pieces in the corner to start a fire.

_Thank you, God, for allowing me to spend time with Rosette. She truly is an amazing and compassionate person,_ Chrono thought, glancing up at the girl, who was currently trying to stuff all the junk back into their bags. He grinned and threw the lit match into the pile of wood, blowing on it slightly to start the fire. It caught immediately, and within a few minutes, a medium sized fire was occupying the depths of the cave.

By this time, Rosette had finished stuffing their things back into the bags. She beamed as she studied the packets. Chrono chuckled and stared into the depths of the fire, warming his fingers. Suddenly his ear twitched, and his arm shot up to catch an object that was flying towards his head.

"A pot?" he asked, looking up from the fire at the item that had almost knocked him out.

Rosette nodded, "We need hot water for hot chocolate, so you're in charge of finding some!"

Chrono frowned and stood up warily, "Fine," he submitted, walking towards the edge of the cave. Rosette scooted towards the fire.

"See you soon!" she waved and rubbed her fingers together. Chrono nodded and put the pot handle in his mouth as he began his descend down the mountain. Once at the bottom, he was instantly lost in the pile of snow.

"Good thing Rosette didn't decide to walk through this…" he mumbled, shivering as the snow instantly soaked through his dry clothes. He practically swam through the wet fluff, finding an untouched spot. He filled the pot up with snow before climbing back onto the mountain. From there he put the pot in his mouth again, which wasn't as easy as before being as there was snow in it now, and climbed back to the cave.

As soon as he got back, Rosette looked up and frowned, "What'd you do, go swimming?" she asked sarcastically. Chrono shrugged and took the pot over to the fire, setting it on top of the metal rack that Rosette had put over the flickering heat.

"Pretty much," he said, trying to keep his teeth from chattering as he stripped of his red overcoat and sat down beside the fire, warming his frozen fingers.

Rosette watched him for a moment before taking one of the blankets and throwing it over his shoulders. Then she moved behind him and pulled his long braid of deep purple hair out from underneath it. Silently she undid the wet ribbon and combed through it with her fingers, ringing it out onto the cave floor. Chrono sat still, shivering slightly as the wet clothes began to get to him. Rosette grabbed a brush from her bag and returned to the spot behind him, chuckling.

"We can't have you catching a cold, now can we?" she asked, running the brush through his thick hair. Even though it was so long, the brush ran through it like a knife through butter, and wet droplets clung to the brush and her hand. She ignored it, humming softly as she continued her ritual.

Chrono was silent, afraid that if he said something, the girl would move away. He enjoyed being close to her, but he would never tell her that. She finally finished brushing his hair. Then she grouped the locks into three thick strands, weaving them in and out until she reached the bottom. By this time, the bright yellow ribbon was almost dry, so she took it and tied it into a bow at the bottom of the braid.

"There," she remarked, beaming as she moved beside him to reheat herself. He smiled.

"Thanks, Rosette," he said, finally starting to feel warmer now that the blanket was getting hot from the fire.

"No problem," Rosette turned her attention towards the now boiling water over the fire, "I think we're supposed to add the packets in and stir, right?"

Chrono frowned, "I've never had instant hot chocolate before. How should I know?"

Rosette blinked, "Why, you're supposed to know _everything_, Chrono!" she said with false innocence.

"Yeah right," Chrono scoffed. _If I knew everything, I'd have figured out a way to get the years you've lost back._

Rosette laughed at his tone, "Well, I'm pretty sure that's what you do."

Chrono watched as she added the two packets into the water, stirring for a moment before taking the pot off the fire. She pulled out the two plastic mugs that she had set aside earlier and filled them carefully with the brown liquid.

"Here," she handed him one of the mugs before sipping her own. Chrono was reluctant to leave the warmth of the blanket, but he complied, taking the cup in his hands and relishing in the heat that warmed his frozen fingers.

"Thanks," he took a sip, enjoying the feeling of the sweet drink running through his veins, getting to every spot in his body and taking temporary heat with it. Then the feeling died down, and Chrono took another sip in order to restore it. Rosette stared into the fire, smiling softly. Chrono glanced at her, "What're you smiling about?"

Rosette shrugged, "Well, earlier I was all upset because we'd have to spend Christmas here, but…" she grinned, "I kind of like this better. I mean, there's no one around to bother us, we're snowed inside a cave in the middle of a forest that we're hopelessly lost in, and we have to use our resources to keep warm and stuff. It's pretty neat, when you think about it."

Chrono nodded in agreement, "I know what you mean. Haven't you always watned to go camping, Rosette?"

She brightened, "Yeah, I have! Joshua and I would always fantatize about how we'd go exploring, and then have to camp in the woods to survive for the days between stops."

Rosette fell silent as her thoughts drifted back to Joshua. Chrono frowned, "You know, he wouldn't want you to dwell on the past. He'd want you to be happy in whatever path you chose. That's just the way he is."

"I know…" Rosette sighed, "But I wish there was something more I could have done…"

"There wasn't," Chrono said firmly, "But the past is called that for a reason. It's behind us. You know what's ahead?"

"The future?"

"Right!" Chrono grinned, showing a small fang, "You do have a brain!"

Rosette narrowed her eyes, "What was that, Chrono dear?" she said, her eyebrow twitching. Chrono held up his hands in defense.

"Never mind, never mind!" he said quickly, laughing. Rosette glared at him for a moment more before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

"We should probably call headquarters…" she murmured. Chrono gulped.

"You can call. Sister Kate would skin me alive for letting us get into this predicament," he shuddered at the thought, "She's quite violent, for a nun."

"_I'm_ a nun, you know," Rosette pointed out.

Chrono rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, but you're not a nun in my mind," he grew red as that sentence played over in his head, "No, I didn't mean it like that!"

Rosette held up a fist, "How _did_ you mean it?! _Do tell_!"

"I just meant that you're Rosette, not a quiet nun who submits to anything!" Chrono inched away from the angry girl, "You're the strongest girl I know, and I respect that!"

Rosette blinked, "What?"

Chrono sighed, glad to have avoided her wrath, even for a few minutes, "You're strong, you're smart, and you're quite amusing to hang around. I like those things about you."

Rosette blushed, and Chrono found it amazing that just a few seconds ago the only thing on her mind had been murder, "Really?"

He nodded, and Rosette beamed, "Well…" she shrugged in mock forgiveness, "I suppose I could not kill you today, since it _is_ Christmas."

Chrono nodded vigorously, and Rosette laughed, "This reminds me of that one time when—"

Chrono smiled slightly as Rosette rambled off in her own little world, retelling stories about her childhood and reminiscing about their adventures in the Order. As the day wore on, Rosette and Chrono talked about various things happening in their lives, and the two got closer and closer, until they were both curled under the same blanket, laughing together while their hot chocolate lay forgotten by the dying fire.

Christmas wasn't such a bad day after all.

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A/N: Okay, now I'm done with this story. Hope you all liked it! Please review and tell me what you thought! (Critique welcome. If you didn't like something about the story, please review and tell me what so that I can fix it for my next story!) Thanks! 

fornwalt


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